The Life Of Gemma Roscoe
by JustMeReally
Summary: The youngest Roscoe sibling can't get up to that much trouble with 5 protective older brothers and an eagle eyed mother right?
1. First Impressions

First impressions count for something. That's what Mum always says anyway.  
But when you're 15 years old like me, and moving house for the 4th time this year, by now first impressions count for nothing. In fact I've made so many, I'm practically a pro...

...

I lean my head against the cool glass of my window in Mums car as we drive through the dark streets of Chester.  
The twins, Jason and Robbie are sat beside me fast asleep, and Ziggy's up front in the passenger seat with the map. God knows why.

Eventually we pull up outside a silhouette of a big house in Hollyoaks. I immediately clamber out to stretch my legs, feeling all my muscles seize at once.

Joe pulls up behind us, with Lindsey and Freddie in tow.  
"I'm knackered" Ziggy groans, watching him unlock the boot to retrieve the last of our bags before the moving trucks come tomorrow.  
"Tough, when we get this inside you can go to bed"  
I feel my arms turn to lead at the prospect of staying up even longer  
Lindsey smiles at me sympathetically and rubs her baby bump.  
For a woman in the middle of pregnancy, she sure is calm.

Jason and Robbie grab two bags each while I swing mine over one shoulder and follow them up to the front door.

Mum unlocks it and we all hover outside, feeling like intruders.  
"Well...Home sweet home" Lindsey says uncertainly, taking a tentative step forward.  
There's a rustle of junk mail underfoot, as the lot of us try and fit through the doorway at once.  
Dumping everything in the hallway, Mum sends us upstairs to see if there's anything to sleep on until our beds come in the trucks tomorrow.

...

I'm woken up in the morning by Lindsey, wearing a tired yet happy smile.  
"Mornin' Gem" she says helping me off the sofa I'd found to sleep on last night.  
"Where's everyone gone?" I question brushing dust off my back.  
"They're all downstairs, wanted to wake you up ages ago but I told 'em to let you sleep"  
I nod appreciatively and follow her downstairs.

The moving trucks are parked outside and delivery men are traipsing through the house to dispatch our stuff in various places.

"Wow this is embarrassing" I say sarcastically, moving to one side so a delivery man can get round me "Forgot to mention this lot Linds?"  
She smirks as she manoeuvres round the boxes, one hand protectively resting on her bump.

Joe, Freddie and the twins all have their arms full, helping. While Mum directs them where to put stuff. Ziggy is nowhere to be seen surprise surprise.

Quietly, I scoot round the group and head to the front door.  
"Mornin' sis" Ziggy greets jogging up the path towards me  
"Where've you been then?" I ask narrowing my eyes  
"Just checking out the street" he says airily  
"Mmm, the emphasis on the 'checking out' part" I agree nodding to where two girls walk out the front waving.

"Shush you" Ziggy warns jokingly, budging past me, yelling out for Mum.  
"Might as well go back to bed" I say with a sigh.

...

"I don't see why we couldn't have had lunch at home" Robbie moans looking up at the pub  
"Because after a morning of hard work I don't wanna be cooking for you lot!"  
I raise an eyebrow at Mum as a couple sat outside watch her.  
Joe cottons on first and ushers us all inside.

"You must be the Roscoes?" an old man behind the bar greets us "Jack, Jack Osborne"  
"Ugh so James Bond" I mutter under my breath, earning a smirk from Jason.  
Mum launches into her whole 'oh this is a wonderful village spiel' so the rest of us leave to find a table.

"People are staring" Robbie begins again  
"So let 'em" Freddie tells him sternly "Stop acting all paranoid Rob and deal with it"

Eventually Mum joins us, armed with a tray of drinks and some menus.  
"You two seemed very friendly" Fred observed opening the booklet  
"Oh come off it, he's married, and I'm not _that_ desperate"

Another family wander in. A man and a woman with a teenage boy and girl, the girl pushing a buggy.  
"Sinead stop whining and sit down"  
"Ooh scousers" Ziggy murmurs looking not at 'Sinead' but at her Mother!  
I kick him under the table.

The boy remains silent, looking round the pub. We briefly lock eyes before he looks away again.  
"Finn what do you want to drink?"  
He mumbles something to his Mother and glances back to me. I bow my head quickly, blushing.  
Finn...not a bad name.

...

"Well I think that was a lovely lunch" Mum sighs as we walk back home  
"Yeah, Ziggy loved it, especially when the Mum bent over to pick up the babies toy" I agree  
He whacks the back of my head and cries out in protest.  
"You seemed to get on alright with that boy" Lindsey whispers to me as the others charge up the front path.  
"Who Finn?" I ask casually, shoving my hands in my pockets "No chance Linds"  
She nods with a smirk "Got his name then?"  
I mentally kick myself as she starts laughing.  
"Well if it helps, he kept watching you too"  
Maybe first impressions do count for something...


	2. The Wanderer

Living with 5 brothers (and Lindsey) means that you don't usually get noticed much (especially when you're the youngest) It doesn't totally bother me I guess, that's why I walk a lot, where it's just me no-one else. Dad used to call me 'The Wanderer'...

I trail down the village taking in all the shops and houses. It's still early so not many people are about. Everyone at home was awake, unpacking boxes. I managed to escape, lucky me.

My fingers brush against the bricks either side of me, as I head down an alleyway. When I come back out into the sunlight, the breath catches in my throat. It's a completely silent, walled in area. Stone ledges jut out as seats, and the light bounces off the trees in all the right places. I already know this will become my second home.

I walk slowly down the couple of steps to reach the middle. Standing there, I spin round and round outstretching my arms and fingers.

"Having fun there?" a voice questions.

I jump, turning to see Finn sat watching me. Resisting the urge to blush I stare him down.  
"Maybe. What's it to you?" I demand

"N-Nothing I was just messin'" he stuttered holding up his hands in surrender.  
I smirk "Calm down, no need to have a hissy fit" I tease, moving to stand in front of him.

"You're new round here? We saw you in the pub yesterday" he says  
"Yeah, 4th move this year, I'm not expecting it to last long" I remark

He stands up "Well then we should at least get you to see all the good bits before you leave again"  
"Sounds good" I say letting him lead the way.

As he starts walking, he stops and turns round "The name's Finn by the way" he tells me  
"I know" I say simply "Gemma"  
He nods, and I already know I've made a new friend.

After a solid hour of touring the village, we stop on top of the bridge that towers over Hollyoaks.  
"Not so bad afterall" I murmur looking down at the once silent streets below.  
I hear Finn chuckle, and I look up to see him watching me.

"What's funny?" I demand pushing back from the edge to face him  
"Nothing" he says deadpan "It's just, you should probably wait, living here is pretty unpredictable"  
I frown "Like how?"

...

"We have to leave" I declare, arriving home an hour past the time Mum had instructed  
She looks up from a box of kitchen equipment "If this is you trying to avoid the fact you're late home. Forget it"  
I shake my head frantically and flop onto the sofa with a dramatic sigh.

"Decided to come home then?" Joe teases appearing in the doorway  
"Did you know there have been murders here?" I ask sitting up.  
Mum rolls her eyes and I see Joe smirk.  
"Who told you that then?"  
"Finn"

Lindsey chooses that exact moment to wander in, and I catch her stifling a chuckle.  
"That boy from the pub right?" she checks, acting surprised  
I stick my tongue out at her and turn back to Mum.

"Some nurse was strangled to death just up the road! And there was a serial killer here a few years back! We're doomed!" I cry out just as the twins join the group growing in the doorway.

"Who's doomed?" Jason questions chucking an empty box in the corner.  
"Your brother if he's not home soon" Mum cuts in shooting me a warning glance.  
Freddie comes through from the kitchen "You know what he's like Mum, proper modern day Romeo, our Ziggy"

I huff as the subject is changed, and stumble up to my room.  
I'm definately going out again tomorrow.


End file.
